The Stovebolt Site Forums Project Journals Project Journals 1940 Chevy 1/2 ton low skill and low buck build

Being on a slope shouldn't have anything to do with flooding. Do you have an electric fuel pump?

Mechanical pump and being on a slope with limited fuel in the tank… possible reason for the initial stall when stopped or maybe not.

Truck is running and driving. Put insurance on it today and took it down the road.

Need to adjust the hood, shifter cable, finish making the new plug wires and put the timing light on it one final time.

Rear passenger side fender needs a little more sanding and buffing.

Project finished for now!

Thanks to everyone that offered advice and read through my never ending train wreck.

Took the truck for a 3hr there and back drive… findings

Truck will cruise at 110km/h, 180dg, 2800 rpm and 50psi of oil pressure all day long. Sitting in stop/go traffic temps went up to 200 and came back down quickly with some air flow.

Allegedly it will also break the tires loose at will.

And it’s noisy as all get out inside the cab.

Looks like I lost one exhaust tip and the clamp. The gas gauge also packed it in… grr. Also running a little rich so the carb needs to be re jetted

All in all a pretty decent shake down run.. truck makes me happy as can be

Got the rear fender fender sanded and buffed… looks great. Just don’t mind the scratches that showed up from trying to make it just a little bit better. Repaint would fix it… but it’s farm truck so it will be fine as is.

Messing around with the Edelbrock and I’m on my 4th or 5th rod/spring combo. 11 seams ok but a little lean under full throttle. That will be a tomorrow problem.

From an acceleration standpoint, I’ve been playing with the truck in drive. First time today taking off in first… truck went sideways with some authority.

It’s perfectly stupid and I love it

If this is a farm truck your farm must be a fair amount different than any I have been around. That paint job is amazing not to mention the drive train being pretty special on its own.

Thanks wicruiser, pictures hide all its imperfections

Tried #6 rod again with the orange spring. Bog was gone but it’s rich at part throttle… fun at full throttle though.

Took a rough back road on the way home and noticed the voltage had dropped to 12v. Figured the alternator plug had backed out… which was a correct guess.

Pretty sure I bumped it earlier this morning when I checked the engine mounts.

Cow Bay is one of our favorite trips - get coffee and pastries at the bakery and sit at the launch ramp.

Like the picture at the gas pump - there's an obvious caption for that one!

It's a beautiful truck, Snake. Well done. The problems encountered on the shake down runs are to be expected, mo. You'll get it all squared away soon enough.

Thanks RLB

Updates... choke and high speed idle are sorted. The current combination is so cold blooded that a functioning choke is a necessity. Reset the tank float and unfortunately the gas gauge now works...it's slightly horrifying at the rate it heads towards empty.

Had the truck out in a couple of rain storms and can verify the wipers mostly work. Still running a little rich so I've changed the rods (attempting #3 again with the orange spring this time).

Still on the hunt for a set of Halibrands.

Odds and ends are getting wrapped up just in time for it's 1500km trip in June.

Not much in the way of updates… been driving the truck all over the place and so far it’s been working pretty well.

Storage is a concern on a longer trip like the one coming up in June. Attempting to create solutions that don’t require any permanent changes.

Ordered a 3x4 cargo net and created a bracket with 3/4 flat bar that allows the use of tie down points. Just need to make 3 more.

Added an old cargo net that I had kicking around across the rear of the tailgate.

Modified the tonneau cover with some sewn in loops on the front and sides.

Working on possibly my last project. Putting in a driveshaft loop and needed to make some spacers to clear the floor. Almost finished, just need to drill the 4 passenger side mounting bolts.

It’s a little farther back than I’d like but space under the truck is at a premium. Once it’s finished I’ll need to make a bracket for the parking brake cables.

Tracked down my driver side turning indicator, taillight issue to a loose ground wire. Looks like I added another wire to the ground and forgot to tighten the bolt back up.

Changed up the wheels for the trip in June. Finished up the cargo net mounting and loaded the tool box with side of the road repair bits.
Got the truck slightly cleaned up… as shiny as it will get.

Think everything's ready to go. 1600kms over 8 days is going to be a test for the truck and myself.

Looks Great! Safe travels

What a great build journey here! (Over 95,000 views! ) I went back to your first post here in PJs. You've done a good job with updating us with images and info. It will be great to hear how your trip goes. Hope the shake-down turns out to be a pleasure drive.

So the truck did pretty well on it's 8 day trip. Only 1 minor mechanical hiccup plus a leaky windshield seal over 1600km made for a fairly smooth trip. Got back to the island and the very next day my truck gave up a whole 20 mins from home ...Tow of shame ensued.

2024 bc hot rod tour pics

Well a new fuel regulator, 1 new spark plug wire, new fuel filter, new condenser, redone points, reassembly of an Edelbrock carb and it turns out 1 slightly backed out nut on the ignition switch was the issue.

Took the truck out to a local car gathering this evening and it's running better than ever....for now

Update… trucks been dead for a week. Had an issue with a front oil leak. Thought it was the oil pan and debated replacing the crank seal while everything was apart. Made the wrong decision… looks like the crank seal was the culprit after all.

More disassembly… it failed to make a show last week and now I’m supposed to have it ready for another get together this Saturday. Joyful

Looks like the PCV went bad and forced oil out the seal... removing the PCV momentarily solved the massive oil leak. Made it an hour south with no issues but on the way home the leak returned. Thankfully got it home without damaging the engine.
Means I need to take everything apart and do it all over again...plus the added bonus of clean everything under the truck that's coated in oil. Will be trying Mr gasket crank seal and a moroso oil pan gasket as the fel-pro stuff is starting to let me down.

The never ending “build” continues. Got the truck stripped down and started cleaning up the mess. Also decided to repaint the rear passenger fender… so that got added to the list.

In an attempt to quiet the cabin, I’m trying some kilmat in a few places. Rear fender is done and semi mounted… also started putting the engine back together.

Well... it lives! New Moroso oil pan gasket, Mr gasket crank seal and it's leak free. Took it easy for the first couple of miles and it seemed okay, so I spun it up to 6K rpm a few times with no issues.
Pic from a local cruise night... got to meet @Gord&Fran in person which was pretty cool.

Looks really nice!

Yes, nice to meet you. We didn't go to the barbecue; headed for home after Cow Bay.

Trucks been running a little rich.. so time for a main jet change. Went from 104 to 101 and changed the rods to 65-52 with orange springs.

Would be nice to have the Afr gauge for reference but the sensor is taking a dirt nap at the moment.

Got the hood back on but not happy with how it currently fits… was better before. Will need to readjust the grille shroud but that’s a job for another day, or year.

New sensor arrived and fixed my issues. Looks like the drop to a 101 main jet has helped the rich condition and leaned the truck out enough that I can live with it. Picked up some flowmaster Flow FX mufflers to see if they sound any better than the current Thrush glass packs.

Idle with Thrush glass packs

Flowmaster fx mufflers are in… sound is different than before. Inside hasn’t changed but from the outside the truck is tamer. Not 100% sure on the change.

Now with Flowmaster fx’s

Used some door edge guard to line the hood edge. Gives a finished look and keeps the hood sides from chipping… would have been better before the hood got a chip on the edge.

Added a 10 inch fan to the front of the rad. Hopefully it pushes enough airflow to help cooling while the trucks stationary. Fans fairly well hidden once the grill is all together.

Mounted the switch beside the gauges for the time being.

Adding fan photos now that it’s working again. Took the truck to the Langley show and used the fan a couple of times. Worked well.

Finally caved on ditching the points ignition. Picked up a MSD ready to run that doesn’t require a box to function.

Changed the distributor springs to 2 blue. Which according to the chart with a blue stop bushing has the timing all in around 3000

Got the distributor in and the engine timed. Did have an issue at first. Using the instructions that included the use of a relay to replace the ballast resistor. Truck wouldn’t sustain power, it flashed up to 1000rpm and then died.

Wired the distributor without the relay and it fired right up. Idle is cleaner and the truck rips through the power band.

Long as it keeps working… the MSD was worth the cost and effort.

Also ran a couple new fuel lines, replaced the rubber with some braided line.

Tired of the cardboard headliner so started a new project. Going with foam and some velvet/velour type material. Shall see if it turns out.

Changed the trans filter out for a less restrictive one. Trans fluid looks nice and clean. Did find a broken trans mount though. (Part Summit Racing Transmission Mounts SUM-7731165)

Finished the headliner project… never going to be an interior guy but this turned out ok. Some fabric, foam, glue and the original cardboard piece as a template.

Good enough for this truck

Nice work, on the headliner & the MSD. I've enjoyed following your build so far.

Nice work on your headliner, it looks plush!

What is that device stuck to the windshield below the Garmin?

Looks like a suction cup for a cell phone holder. I have a similar one.

Bingo^



Thanks RLB... I keep thinking the trucks finished but I can't seam to stop myself from tinkering.

Thanks, It's absolutely luxurious compared to the rest of the interior.

Time to re-visit the tonneau cover that failed so miserably last year. Have a couple more long distance trips planned this year and ideally I’d like some covered storage.

So, same canvas tarp, some grommets, ball type bungees and 4 2x2’s later… turned out ok.

Still need to finish up at the rear but so far it appears functional.

Highly recommend the Hapden grommet tool/kit on Amazon.